


It's Nice To Be In Love

by hma1313



Series: Love is a Stranger Thing [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas, College, Established Relationship, F/M, First Christmas, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentions of HIV/AIDS, Multi, OT3, Period-Typical Homophobia, Polyamory, Thanksgiving, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:47:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8924653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hma1313/pseuds/hma1313
Summary: It's hard, being separated when the three of them go off to college, but somehow, they make it work.//Russian translation available//





	

**Author's Note:**

> It took me far too long to write the sequel to [Beginnings and Ends](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7798786) but whatever here we go
> 
>  
> 
> Russian translation: [Так приятно быть влюбленным](https://ficbook.net/readfic/5105773)

**Jonathan**

Jonathan’s wanted to go to NYU since he was six and he can’t quite believe he’s actually achieved his dream. As he stands at the door of his dorm room with his mom on one side of him and Will on the other, about to open the door to the next four years of his life, he feels a real sense of pride at the fact that he actually managed to do it, that he’s in New York, the small town of Hawkins, Indiana feeling about a million miles away.

“Good luck,” his mom says. “You’ll do great.”

“Thanks,” he says, and then he’s opening the door, about to greet his roommate and step into the unknown. 

* * *

 

His roommate is a guy called Dan and he seems fairly decent. He’s from somewhere in Michigan that Jonathan doesn’t catch and wants to major in Physics – and that’s pretty much the extent of their conversation.

Steve’s room is just down the corridor, so Jonathan decides to go and visit him. He knocks on the door of room 115 and Steve grins when he opens the door, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the room. His roommate isn’t around, so Steve kisses him and Jonathan’s glad that this little piece of home is here in New York with him. “Missed you,” Steve whispers against his lips, and it feels a bit redundant, because they spent the entirety of yesterday together, but it’s nice to hear all the same.

They stay in Steve’s room for a while, making out and having some time just as them. Nancy’s been with them a lot over the summer, and although that’s been great, there’s something about his relationship with Steve that runs deeper than the one he shares with Nancy, and he’s not entirely sure about how he feels about that.

Steve’s roommate comes back, and they quickly pull apart to sit with an appropriate distance between each other, but the roommate just laughs and says in the campest voice Jonathan has ever heard, “Oh, don’t act straight for my account. I’ve fucked both the guys in room 121 already, believe me when I say I don’t give a shit.” He sits down on the bed and lights up a cigarette before speaking again. “I’m Alex. Who’s the boyfriend, Steve?”

“Jonathan,” Steve says. “And he’s not – well, he is, but he isn’t.”

Alex raises an eyebrow. “He either is or he isn’t. I don’t believe in in-betweens.”

“Our girlfriend is at Yale,” Jonathan says when Steve doesn’t respond. “There’s three of us.”

“Three of you?” Alex repeats. “Like a threesome, but also a relationship?” They both nod. “Woah. That’s crazy. Amazing, but crazy. That’s the stuff of fantasies.”

“Yeah,” Steve says, sounding distant, as though the reality of all the sex they’ve been having since they got together has finally caught up with him. “I suppose so.”

* * *

 

Alex persuades them to join the Gay Soc, and introduces them as “Jonathan and Steve who fuck each other but also fuck the same girl as well.” They party until the sun comes up, but they also spend time raising awareness of HIV/AIDS around the city, trying not to notice as their friends and the people they meet disappear into hospital and don’t come back. Jonathan becomes the society photographer and spends their nights out snapping pictures of everyone drinking and having fun, then spends far too long in the university dark room because Steve sneaks his way into the room with and fucks him over the table as Jonathan watches the photographs develop in the tray beneath him.

“Jesus, _fuck_ ,” he all but yells when he comes, one of Steve’s hands wrapped around his dick and the other clapping a hand over his mouth, because although yeah, anyone walking past right now could easily work out what’s happening on the other side of the door, they don’t want to make it completely obvious.

Steve kisses him as he’s putting the photographs up to dry, gentle kisses filled with affection that pepper every bit of skin that Steve can reach. Jonathan smiles and turns to kiss Steve properly, but Steve avoids it and instead kisses Jonathan’s nose, eyelashes, cheeks, chin.

“I love you,” he eventually whispers, a single tear sliding down his face. “I love you, Jonathan Byers.”

* * *

 

**Nancy**

Nancy misses them. She misses Steve’s jokes and Jonathan’s quiet nature, the click of the camera shutter and the feeling of her their skin against hers.

She dreams, dreams that feel so real it’s almost unimaginable, and more often than not wakes up with a hand down her pyjama pants, fingering herself and trying not to wake her roommate up. Her roommate, for one thing, doesn’t understand the situation that Nancy has with Jonathan and Steve, and Nancy dreads to think about what she’d say if she found out that Nancy masturbates to the thought of them.

“So, they’re, like, queer?” she’d asked when Nancy tried to explain it to her. “They have sex?”

“Yes,” Nancy said, desperately wishing she’d just said she was dating Steve or Jonathan rather than both.

Her roommate wrinkled her nose. “That’s disgusting,” she’d said, and has barely spoken to Nancy since.

It’s quiet for a Friday evening, and her roommate is out, so she picks up the phone in her dorm room, dialling the number for Jonathan and Steve’s dorm for the first time since she started college. She stands waiting for someone to pick up at the other end twisting the cord between her fingers and biting her left thumb nail, shifting from foot to foot and praying that her roommate is going to come back anytime soon.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, someone picks up. “Hello?”

“Hi, is Jonathan there?”

“Just a minute.” There’s the distant sound of the guy shouting down the corridor, followed by footsteps and the receiver being handed over.

“Nancy?”

“Jonathan!” Nancy tries not to let the relief show in her voice too much, but she knows she doesn’t really succeed. “How are you? How’s Steve? Is he there with you?”

“I’m fine,” Jonathan says. “Really great, actually. Steve’s here and he’s fine too.”

“That’s – that’s great,” she says, and she’s happy for them, she really is, but a part of her is kind of sad that they’re happy without her.

“We miss you,” Jonathan says, and Nancy smiles, despite the fact that there’s something about the way Jonathan says ‘we’ that doesn’t quite sit with her right.

“I miss you too,” she says, then moves onto what she rang them about in the first place. “Listen, are you doing anything this weekend?”

“Why, you thinking about coming over?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Please do! We’re not really supposed to have girls in our rooms but no one checks so you’ll probably be fine. Please come across.”

“Okay, I’ll see you this weekend, then. And Jonathan?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. Give Steve my love as well, yeah?”

“Of course.”

* * *

 

So Nancy goes to New York for the weekend, and loves every minute. They meet her outside their dorm building and take her across the city to see the sights, walking through Central Park with all three of them holding hands. Jonathan has his camera and takes pictures of them as they race through the bustling streets, as they lounge around on the park grass, when they get back to dorms and they sit drinking vodka cokes in Steve’s room.

Alex comes back with half of the Gay Soc in tow and they proceed to pour shots of vodka and play a game of Never Have I Ever.

“Never have I ever had a threesome,” Alex says eyebrows raised in the direction of Jonathan, Steve and Nancy. They all drink, along with some guy in the corner (“What the fuck, Jack, when did that happen?”) and Nancy has a suspicious feeling that Alex is going to make every NHIE he says be aimed at the three of them.

“Never have I ever had sex in the bathroom,” Steve shoots back with a mischievous look on his face.

“That was _one time_ –”

“Doesn’t matter. Tell me, can the RA look you in the eye yet?”

“Fine.” Alex swallows the vodka and turns back to the three of them. “Never have I ever had sex in the darkroom.”

Nancy doesn’t find herself all that surprised when Jonathan and Steve drink.

“Never have I ever had sex with a professor,” Jonathan says with a smirk in Alex’s direction.

“You fucker, how do you know about that?” Alex grumbles, but drinks none the less. “Oh, here’s a good one: never have I ever told Jonathan Byers I love him.”

Nancy stares as Steve sighs and picks up his drink before she brings herself back down to earth and swallows her shot of vodka with a shudder she does her best to hide. Jonathan, she notes, is staring firmly at the floor.

The game carries on for a while longer, with the usual things like “never have I ever had sex in a car”, “never have I ever got caught having sex”, “never have I ever had sex at a party” and “never have I ever had sex in public” until Alex’s eyes light up with a smirk and says “never have I ever masturbated over the thought of gay sex.”

All the guys in the room drink, but they look surprised when Nancy picks up her shot glass. “What?” she asks. “It’s not like I can control my dreams. Besides, I’ve missed them.”

Alex looks kind of impressed. “I like her,” he announces. “You should come down more often.”

“I will,” she says, and it feels like a promise to herself more than anyone else.

* * *

 

Alex and the rest of the Gay Soc disappear later the evening, heading towards the clubs and late night dancing, but Nancy stays with Jonathan and Steve so they can have more time to themselves. The three of them sit side by side on Steve’s bed, sharing out the last of the vodka.

“It’s not the same without you,” Jonathan laments as he sips his drink. “I’m really glad you’re here, Nancy.”

“Me too,” she murmurs, pressing a light kiss to his cheek, and he almost looks as surprised as that time she gave him that Christmas present back in high school. “My roommate doesn’t understand the relationship I have with you two. Says it’s disgusting that you two sleep together and doesn’t get how I can still have sex with you when you have sex with each other.”

“Because you love us,” Steve says. “That’s why.”

“True.” Nancy puts down her empty cup and leans against Steve’s shoulder. “I do love you.”

They fall asleep in a tangle of limbs, and for a while, everything seems right again.

* * *

**Steve**

Steve goes home for Thanksgiving and things are kind of… strange. Not monster from another world strange, but strange in a “I’m not sure this is the same house I left three months ago” kind of way. His brother is home, along with his wife, which is nice because they live in California and Steve hasn’t seen them since the wedding two years ago, and his mom makes the best Thanksgiving dinner Steve has ever had, but the warmth of the food does nothing to dissipate the distinct cold feel that the dining room has gained since Steve was home last. There’s awkward silence and failed attempts at small talk and more silence only punctured by the scraping of silverware on plates and the sipping of drinks.

“Am I missing something here?” he eventually asks, fed up of everyone avoiding eye contact or any sort of communication with each other. “Did someone die?”

“No, no one died,” his mom says, taking a large gulp of wine from her glass. “Excuse me, I just have to go and... yes.” She’s already in the kitchen by the time she’s finished her sentence and Steve stares at her retreating back in disbelief, then tries to exchange an “what-the-actual-fuck” look with his brother across the table, but he’s far more interested in the pile of food on his plate than actually helping with the situation.

“You’re enjoying college?” his dad eventually asks. “New York was the right decision?”

“Yeah, I’m loving it,” Steve says. “New York is great. Definitely the right decision.”

“You’re still with Nancy Wheeler?”

“Yes,” Steve replies, sensing that an interrogation is coming on. “I mean, she’s at Yale, so we don’t see as much of each other as we’d like, but yes. I’m still with Nancy.”

“What about the Byers boy, you see much of him?”

Steve can feel his father’s eyes on him, a feeling that’s getting less enjoyable with every passing second. “We live on the same floor, so yeah, I see him.”

“What was it he wanted to do again? Art?”

“Photography,” Steve corrects automatically.

“Would you say you’re spending more or less time with him since you started college?”

Steve thinks of how Jonathan spends more time in Steve’s room than his own and how most nights they’ll end up squishing up in Steve’s bed because Jonathan’s too tired to walk the fifty yards down the hallway to his own room (90% of the time, this is just a ruse to get into Steve’s pants, but he’s not complaining) and how whenever Jonathan’s got a new photography project and needs someone to model for him Steve is always the first person he goes to, but Steve knows that’s not something his dad really wants to hear. “Well, sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to from back home,” he eventually says. “I guess we spend a bit more time together than we did back in high school.”

“I wasn’t aware that you spent much time together back in high school.” The dad is looking far too gleeful and his brother is choosing now of all times to send him the “shut-the-fuck-up” look across the table and shit, shit, _shit –_

“You know.”

“Oh, yes,” his dad says, turning around to the sideboard, opening a draw and pulling out a pile of photographs and newspaper clippings from the NYU student paper. “We know.”

* * *

 

It takes some explaining. His dad yells, his mom drinks an entire bottle of wine, his brother sits there with a somewhat impressed look on his face and his sister-in-law pushes information leaflets on AIDS and the importance of getting tested across the table to him with a sad smile on her face.

“I’m not gay!” Steve says for what feels like the hundredth time. “I like girls, I love Nancy, I’m not gay!”

It seems to fall on deaf ears. The lecture goes on and, by the end of it, Steve is all but ready to walk out of the front door and never come back. He should’ve known that his father would be using whatever resources he could get his hands on to keep an eye on him when he went to college. He should’ve known that the freedom he got when he moved to New York wasn’t quite what he thought it would be.

His brother wanders into his room around nine to find Steve packing what little stuff he’d taken out of his suitcase back into it. “Going somewhere?” he asks as he eyes Steve’s luggage. “The parents finding out about your gay love affair too much for you?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Steve mutters as he slams his case shut and pushes it towards the door. He doesn’t want to deal with this right now.

“Listen, I don’t care if you’re gay,” his brother says. Steve ignores him as he puts on his jacket and starts lacing up his shoes. “I really don’t give a shit.”

“Good for you.” Steve picks up his suitcase and heads toward the door, but his brother blocks the exit.

“Just… be careful.” There’s concern in his eyes and he pulls Steve into an awkward hug for a few moments before letting him go. “Take care of yourself. Please.” 

* * *

 

**Nancy**

Nancy is helping her mom with the washing up when the doorbell rings. Her mom is up to her elbows in soap suds and her dad has fallen asleep in front of the TV, so Nancy puts down the dish she was drying and goes to answer the door.

“Steve? What are you doing here?” She’s confused, because although everyone is home for the holiday, she isn’t meet up with Steve and Jonathan until Saturday, so she’s a little confused as to why he’s turned up at this late hour on Thanksgiving itself. She looks down and sees the suitcase by Steve’s feet, and then lines of worry settle into her forehead. “You had a fight with your parents or something?”

“Yeah, or something,” Steve mutters bitterly. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can I stay?”

“I – I don’t – I’d have to check –”

“Great, thanks,” he says, pushing past her and starting to walk upstairs. Nancy stares at his retreating back in disbelief before returning to the kitchen, where her mom is stood at the sink looking as confused as Nancy feels.

“Was that Steve?” her mom asks. Nancy nods dumbly as she picks up the tea towel and begins drying dishes again. “What’s he doing here?”

“Had a fight with his parents, I think,” Nancy replies. “He didn’t seem to want to dwell on the details.”

“So he’s staying?”

“It seems so. Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” her mom says. “Ask if he’s got any washing, will you? I bet he brought a couple of loads back from college. I’ll do them tomorrow if he has.”

Nancy smiles. “Thanks, mom.” 

* * *

 

“So…”

“No.” Steve turns over where he’s lying on the bed so that he’s facing the window instead of Nancy. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Mom was wondering if you had any washing. She’ll do it for you, if you want.”

Steve turns back over. “Really?”

Nancy smiles. “Better than having to scrabble for change every time you suddenly realize you don’t have enough underwear to last the week. Just shove it in the laundry hamper, it’ll get done.” She sits down on the bed and starts to get changed for bed. “Are we… are we still meeting Jonathan on Saturday?”

Steve frowns. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I don’t know. I just thought with you turning up like this might have something to do with him.” Nancy tilts her head to one side so she gets eye contact with her boyfriend. “Does it?”

“Stop trying to get me to tell you what happened, Nancy. It’s not going to work.”

Nancy bites her lip. “I’m just worried about you.”

“Yeah, well, you can worry about me tomorrow. Can we go to sleep now? It’s been a long day.”

“Sure.” Nancy slips underneath the covers and turns off the bedside light. She turns over and presses a light kiss onto Steve’s cheek. “Goodnight, Steve.” 

* * *

 

**Jonathan**

It’s the sound of someone hammering on the front door with their fists that wakes Jonathan up in the morning. He climbs out of bed and slowly makes his way to the front door, wiping sleep from his eyes and wishing that his mom hadn’t pushed that last shot of whiskey in his direction after Will had gone to bed.

(“I’m so proud of you,” she said as she clinked their glasses together. “So, so proud.”)

“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” he mumbles to himself more than anyone else as the knocking on the door continues. He fumbles with the lock for a few moments, eventually getting it right and pulling the door open. “Nancy? What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Jonathan. Are you doing anything now?”

“No, why?”

* * *

Jonathan has never seen Steve like this before. He’s crying, tears sliding silently down his cheeks, and there’s a pile of shredded tissues sitting in front on him on the bed. He seems to barely notice him and Nancy walking into the room.

“What… what happened?” Jonathan asks Nancy quietly.

“I don’t know. He won’t tell me. That’s the problem. I thought you might be able to help.”

“Okay.” Jonathan sits down on the edge of the bed and gently pries the tissues out of Steve’s hands. “Nancy, can you give us a minute?”

“Sure.” Nancy leaves the room, and Steve seems to visibly relax once the door closes.

“What’s going on?”

* * *

 

**Nancy**

It doesn’t feel right eavesdropping, but Nancy spends the entire next hour with her ear pressed against the doorframe anyway.

She only hears snippets of conversation, because they’re talking quietly, but she does get the gist of what happened. Something about Steve’s dad finding out and the odd feeling at the Harrington house and Steve just wanting to get away from it, to get out, to forget –

Then she hears the telltale sound of a belt buckle being undone and quickly makes her exit. Somehow, she feels she’s not invited to this particular intimate moment.

* * *

 

By the time Nancy is packing her bags for going back to college for the last few weeks of the semester, Steve is smiling again. He sorts things out with his parents, spends more time with Nancy and Jonathan over the holiday weekend than they’d originally planned, and everything goes back to normal.

Except.

Except the whole town seems to know something’s up.

People stare in the grocery store. Make pointed looks in their direction when the three of them walk down the street together. They whisper in the park and they gossip at the hairdressers and the looks she gets make Nancy feel so uncomfortable she’s already dreading coming back for the winter break.

So she comes up with a plan.

* * *

 

The log cabin she rents is just outside of Redding, CT, and although it costs a small fortune to rent it for the week running up to Christmas, she knows it’s going to be worth it. She calls Jonathan and Steve one night two weeks before the end of the semester when finals are looming and it’s miserable outside and tells them to pack a bag and let their parents know they’ll be home a week later than originally expected.

“What? Why?” Steve asks on the other end of the line. “I’m so confused.”

“Just do it, okay?”

They do, and a fortnight later the three of them are standing in the living room of the log cabin with smiles on their faces. The place is already decorated for the holidays, a tree standing in the corner laden with ornaments, garland round the fireplace and picture frames, a wreath on the front door. Nancy gives them a tour of the place – it’s not huge, but it’s big enough for the three of them for the week – before ending up in the kitchen where she’s already started preparing dinner.

Steve helps to chop the vegetables whilst Jonathan gets his camera out and starts to document what is essentially their first Christmas together as a family. The camera shutter clicks as they joke and laugh and catch up on what has been a crazy few weeks with all the finals and deadlines. It’s so nice to be together as just the three of them. It’s so nice not having to worry about nosy neighbors or roommates interrupting or anything else. It’s so nice to just relax.

It’s so nice to be in love.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> hang out with me on [tumblr](http://pllsetskyonice.tumblr.com/) for a questionable mix of fandoms and ships


End file.
